Age-Appropriate Educational Activities
Our purpose is dialogue, not agreement. These activities are recommended, never required. Read why we're here.
Our educational materials reflect a “shelter first” and lowest-barrier approach to addressing homelessness. They are recommended resources, not required material. If your group chooses not to use them, your participation is still encouraged.
Awareness doesn't take sides ... all voices and perspectives are encouraged. However, Campout for Compassion will not provide or recommend “treatment first” materials.
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Chico Campout for Compassion 2026 · Saturday, November 14, 2026
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CHICO CAMPOUT FOR COMPASSION • PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
SHEET A • AGES 6–10 • 25 MINUTES
Elementary: What makes a home? Purpose: Help children understand that people need more than walls and a roof ... they need safety, stability, connection, and dignity.
Facilitator opening: “People live in different kinds of homes. Some families have to move often, and some people do not have a stable place to stay. No one should be teased or judged because of where they live.”
1. Draw a place that helps someone feel safe (10 minutes) Inside the box, draw or write three things that help a person feel safe and cared for.
2. Talk together (10 minutes) • Which of these things does everyone need?
• How would you feel if you had to move and did not know where you would sleep?
• What can you do to make someone feel welcome and respected?
3. One kind action (5 minutes) This week I can show kindness by: ________________________________________________
Host note: Keep examples gentle, do not ask about children’s personal housing situations, and allow anyone to skip sharing.
CHICO CAMPOUT FOR COMPASSION • PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
SHEET B • AGES 11–13 • 30–35 MINUTES
Middle grades: Everyday needs map Purpose: Understand how stable housing makes ordinary routines easier ... and how communities can reduce barriers.
1. Choose three everyday needs Circle three: Sleep | Toilets | Food | Phone charging | Laundry | Transportation | Shower | Storage | School supplies | Quiet place to study
2. Fill in the chart (15 minutes)
NEED When a person has a stable home ... What may become difficult without one?
________________ ________________________ ________________________
________________________ ________________________
________________ ________________________ ________________________
________________________ ________________________
________________ ________________________ ________________________
________________________ ________________________
3. Name a community response (10 minutes) Pick one difficulty. What organization, public facility, friend, service, or housing option might reduce it?
Discuss: Why might it be difficult to keep a job or attend school when basic routines become unpredictable? Do not assume a participant’s housing situation.
CHICO CAMPOUT FOR COMPASSION • PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
SHEET C • AGES 14–17 • 35–45 MINUTES
Teens: Decisions without easy answers Purpose: Learn to recognize real-world constraints and ask what practical options are missing. The fictional situations are for analysis ... not role-play.
Read one fictional situation per small group (10 minutes)
SITUATION 1 • Work hours
A retail worker ends an evening shift after a shelter’s latest admission time. The worker has income but cannot find a room within budget.
SITUATION 2 • Keeping family together
A parent is offered a temporary arrangement that cannot accommodate their child or meet the family’s transportation needs.
SITUATION 3 • School stability
A student is staying temporarily with relatives. The commute and uncertainty make attendance and homework harder.
SITUATION 4 • Belongings and documents
An adult has no safe storage for work clothes, identification, or medication and must travel to appointments across town.
Questions (20 minutes) • Which needs are immediate? Which problems are caused by a missing resource rather than a poor
personal decision?
• What options does the person realistically have? What key information is missing?
• What would make this situation easier ... housing, schedule flexibility, safe storage, transit, services, or something else?
Write one specific improvement for Chico (10 minutes)
Facilitator rule: The goal is to notice limited choices, not ask teenagers to guess what homelessness “feels like” or rank who deserves help.
CHICO CAMPOUT FOR COMPASSION • PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
SHEET D • ADULTS / MIXED GROUPS • 45 MINUTES
Adults: Three perspectives, one community Purpose: Practice listening without requiring agreement on every policy.
Read three viewpoints, then discuss
Neighbor: “I’m worried about safety, trash, and how usable our neighborhood parks feel.” Person without housing: “I need somewhere safe to sleep and keep my things ... and I don’t always have a realistic alternative.” Service provider: “We want to help, but programs have limits and we cannot promise a housing placement to everyone right away.”
1. What does each person want? Avoid telling them what they “really” mean. (10 minutes)
2. Identify two shared goals. (10 minutes)
3. List two questions that need facts, not assumptions. (10 minutes)
4. Identify one respectful next step. (10 minutes)
Facilitator: Acknowledge distinct perspectives, but do not require participants to agree with a harmful generalization or abandon their own experience.
CHICO CAMPOUT FOR COMPASSION • PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
SHEET E • AGES 11+ • 15–20 MINUTES
Optional: Listening and language exercise Purpose: Notice the difference between a fact, an assumption, and a respectful question.
Discuss each sentence. What is observed? What is assumed? How might the speaker ask a better question?
Statement Observed fact or interpretation?
Better question to ask
“Everyone on the street refuses help.” ____________________ ____________________
________________________ ________________________
“Moving tents means fewer people are homeless.”
____________________ ____________________
________________________ ________________________
“People in shelters have no problems.” ____________________ ____________________
________________________ ________________________
“Our neighborhood feels less safe.” ____________________ ____________________
________________________ ________________________
Debrief: What words could help us talk about a difficult community issue while still recognizing the dignity of all neighbors?
CHICO CAMPOUT FOR COMPASSION • PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
SHEET F • ANY AGE (ADAPT AS NEEDED)
Reflection: What changed for you? Complete individually, with a partner, or as a closing circle. Sharing is optional.
One thing I learned today ...
One assumption I want to reconsider ...
One question I still have ...
One way I could treat a neighbor with more dignity ...
For overnight participants: What could you stop doing tomorrow that someone without a safe home cannot simply stop? (Keep the focus on differences, not equivalence.)
End with this: “Our night was temporary. What we learned can stay with us.”
Optional companion videos for older groups
These age-appropriate activities remain usable without video. For teen and adult facilitators, the video discussion guide offers 15 optional OrgCode and Invisible People video links, suggestions for different age groups, and questions. Always preview material before playing it with minors, and give people the option to participate without watching.